Railroad spreader



Oct. 22, 1929. J. F. CURTIS RAILROAD SPREADER Filed July 25, 1925 Patented Get. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT FFlE JUHN F. CURTIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNDR TO 0. F. JORDAN COILEPANY, OF EAST CHICAGO, INDEANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA RAILROAD SPREADER Application filed July 1 This invention relates to improvements in railroad spreaders and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The primary object of the invention is to provide in connection with the main wing of a railroad spreader, an auxiliary retaining or carrying wing so attached at a point on the main wing as to keep inside the ballast lines, all ballast that is being shaped up, carrying it ahead from the higher or surplus places of the breast thereof to the lower places, to

fill up the same and form ballast of uniform cross section without wastage of the material, into the usuallly adjacent ditch or down the slope of the bank.

This object of the invention as well as others, together with the many ad thereof will more fully appear as I proceet with my specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a railroad spreader embodying my invention.

2 is a detail perspective of a portion of a railroad spreader embodying my invention and shows the cross sectional forn'iation of the road bed adjacent one rail.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings; 1 indicates a car similar to a railroad fiat car and adapted to travel on the rails 2-2 in the manner well known. Toward one end of the car and on both sides thereof are upright standards 3-3 and mounted in each standard is a block l.

Operatively conne-::ted to each block is a main spreader wing 5 which is capable of not only a :nvinging movement away from andtoward the car body but also a vertical swinging movement so that both the desired horizontal angular position as well as the vertical angular position of the wing may be readily attained. The main wing 5 is provided with an XtGDSlOD wing 6 pivoted thereto as at 7 and its function is that of a bank sloper and builder. At the outer end of said main wing,

its bottom edge is provided with a blade 8 which forms a ditch 9 spaced laterally from the breast 10 of the road bed ballast. Said main wing has an singularly inclined portion 1925. Serial No. 46,045.

11 at its inner bottom edge for forming said breast, and a horizontal bottom edge portion between the ditching blade 8 and inclined portion 11 for forming a flat terrace 13 between the ballast breast and ditch adjacent to the road bed.

Heretofore in forming the ballast breast the excess material removed from the higher places thereof, was displaced laterally, following the main wing and extension wing until it was disposed of either in the ditch or on the bank and when low spots were approached in the ballast breast, they were not filled up but left as found with the result that an uneven breast was formed and one which maintained water in the form of puddles, the drainage of such a breast being insufficient to carry such wat away. These low spaces or pockets retained moisture and promoted the growth of weeds and other vegetation which rendered the road bed unsightly.

In connection with the main spreader wing I provide a relatively small auxiliary carrying wing 14: in the form of a vertically edgewise disposed plate. Said plate is pivoted at one end to the front side of the main spreader wing by a vertically disposed pin 15 which pin is arranged in the plane ofthc corner defined by the angular bottom edge portion 11 and horizontal bottom edge portion 12 of the main spreader wing. The bottom edge of the auxiliary carrying wing it is substantially flush with the horizontally disposed edge portion 12 which forms the terrace and under normal operating conditions said auxiliary wing extends in the direction of movement of the spreader and parallel with the rails on the road bed. Said auxiliary wing is held in its normal position as above described by a brace bar 16 which is removably connected at its ends to the forward end of said auxiliary wing and to a fixed part of the car, said brace extending substantially parallel with the main spreader wing at this time. To hold said main spreader wing and the extension wing in their operative position, folding brace bars 17 and 18 are employed in the manner well known.

In operation, the vertical angular position of the main wing will determine the cross section of the ballast breast and in the movement of the car, the excess of material in the high spots or places of the breast will be cut off or removed by the angularly inclined bottom edge portion 11. Said removed eXcess material will collect against the inner face of the auxiliary wing 14 and will be carried forwardly with the car, to be deposited in the low spots or places in the ballast breast in advance ofthe main spreader wing which will even off said-breast so that it is fiat and uniform throughout. This presents a better appearance to the road bed and permits proper drainage which discourages the growth of Vegetation thereon.

In transport, the brace 16 is removed and the auxiliary wing is folded back against the main wing, after which the braces 17 and 18 associated with the main and extension wings arefolded to bring said main and extension wings along side the car, as shown at the top portion of Fig. 1.

The many advantages of the invention is apparent to those skilled in the art. While in describing my invention I have referred to certain details of construction as well as form and arrangement of parts, I do not wish to a be limited thereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claims. -I claim as my invention:

1. A railroad spreader embodying therein a car, a normally horizontal main spreader wing hinged to the car and having a portion of its bottom edge inclined to the horizontal to form the ballast breast of a road bed, a material carr in win hin ed at its rear end to the'front'face of the main wing in substantially the vertical plane of the outer end of said inclined portion of said bottom edge of the main wing, said material carrying wing normally extending forwardly from the main wing and parallel with the car and removable means connected at one endvto the front end of said material carrying wing for holding it parallel with said car.

2. A railroad spreader embodying therein a car, anormally horizontal main spreader wing hinged to the car and having a portion of its bottom edge inclined to the horizontal to form the ballast breast of a road bed, a material carrying wing hinged-at its rear end to the front face ofthe main wing in substantially thevertical plane of the outer end of said inclined portion of said bottom edge of the main wing, said material carrying wing normally extending forwardly from the main wing and parallel with the car and removable means connected at one end to the car and at its other end to the front end of said matcri a1 carrying wing for holding :it parallel with said car. V

-In :testimonywhereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 2d day of July, 1925.

"JOHN F. CURTIS. 

